Chronic HCV infection occurs in about 3% of the world's population. It is a major cause of liver disease, but effective anti-HCV drugs are not yet available.
In October 1998, the extracellular loop of CD81 was reported as a cellular receptor for the E2 protein of HCV [1]. It is an object of the invention to facilitate rational structure-based drug design of chemical compounds that interact with CD81 to inhibit the binding of HCV.